For quite some time now, headscarves have fascinated me. Here in New York, they can be admired in all colours, sizes and models.
Every ethnic group wears a “wrap”, as they are called here. From the orthodox Jewish women whose faith dictates that they must cover their hair, to the Greeks, Russians and Chinese who bring out beautiful traditional head coverings for certain festive occasions.
Of course, they can also be admired among African Americans. 
Besides being a convenience and simply looking good, for most of this group, headscarves also show their connection to the motherland of Africa, where they were often not only part of the clothing, but were also worn as jewelry by kings and queens.
Headscarves are functional, easy and often also beautiful. In winter they can offer protection against both the cold and the static heat of the heater and in summer they can prevent your hair from being baked crispy by the sun. But they also come in handy when you just don't feel like doing your hair, and certainly when another hair experiment has gone wrong.
Inspired by the surroundings here in Brooklyn I started working on it myself. By watching a lot and asking for explanations here and there I have a little idea of how to make a basic wrap. Although difficult, it is not really hard and practice makes perfect. The result depends on the material and the amount of fabric that is used. See my experiments here.
For me, nothing is as easy as the lady's wrap. It is a pre-formed headscarf of 2.99, which you simply cannot tie wrong around your head. It always looks good. You don't even have to think about it. Ideal if you want to go out on Saturday with uncombed hair to do groceries or something. I prefer to wear it this way. I bring the ends from the back to the front, let them cross and tie them at the back, so that it fits nicely and does not shift.
Almost as easy is a scarf made of stretch material, usually polyester. The great thing about stretchy fabric is that it stays in place, it doesn't slide off easily. Moreover, you don't have to be an expert to make it look good. If you find a nice color that matches your clothes, you basically only have to be able to make a knot and you're done. A scarf finished with fringes or ruffles can give the whole thing something extra. You can simply tie it from front to back, but also wrap it from back to front. You just have to play around with this and it won't take long before you'll be satisfied with the result.
Making wraps with stiffer fabrics like cotton, viscose and even silk are a different story. The choice of colours and patterns is endless and you can really make something beautiful, but it does take some practice to create a nice wrap without visible pins.To keep the scarf from slipping off and to keep my hair in place, I put a scarf on before I start wrapping. You can also make your own cap from an old pair of tights and put it on your head before you start making the wrap. Place the end of the piece of fabric approximately in the middle of your forehead. Hold the fabric in place with one hand and wrap the rest of the piece around your hair with the other hand. Make sure the piece nicely crosses and overlaps the starting point in the front and keep wrapping until the end of the fabric.
Finish by tucking the end of the fabric into the wrap. If you are worried about it coming undone, use a hair pin to secure it.
You can make your own variations by, for example, simply leaving a part hanging loose, as shown above.
You can also be creative with the front, as shown below; the same scarf has been folded in half for a change.
I hope this inspires you to create your own personal wrap and I'm curious about your experience with wrapping. Let me know?
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